A grand parade of Santa Clauses has been organized in Kazakhstan’s Almaty attracting more than a thousand Santas of all ages and ethnicities, a Tengrinews correspondent reports.

The flashmob gathered more people than originally planned. Participants of the flash mob greeted passers-by with New Year wishes, chanted festive slogans and sang holiday songs.

Even though such parades are uncommon for Kazakstan, the reception was quite positive. Drivers honked at the column supportively, pedestrians waved at the Santas, took photos and videos of the parade. Children, especially, found the parade amusing and exciting.

The procession ended near the Christmas tree, where the crowd of Santas took part in a dancing flashmob.

The organizers said preparation for the event had taken more than six months.

One of the organizers Zarina Ashimova said: "Everyone was welcome to participate. I hope that we have not created any inconvenience for anyone. We wanted to cheer up the city folk. This is our present to all the residents of Almaty, I hope they like it. All the participants of the Santa Clauses parade got gifts."